Masquerade
by Skabooom
Summary: Stiles drags Malia to a masquerade ball in hopes of drawing out some of her natural confidence, a plan which is put to the test when Malia becomes entranced by a young woman wearing a red dress and a fox mask.


**_A/N This is a gift work for my good buddy, Cade! I hope you enjoy! It's also the first girl/girl thing I've written...god, maybe ever!_**

* * *

Malia adjusted the coyote mask over her eyes, turning to Stiles, shaking her head. "I shouldn't be here, I'm leaving."

"What? No! We just got here!" Stiles grabbed her wrist. "Come on, half an hour, and if you're still uncomfortable, you can leave, okay? We'll go get a bottle of something and get drunk at the park."

"This necktie is choking me."

"Nope, no, it just feels that way. Don't worry, the sensation dissipates after awhile, I promise." He smiled, adjusting his own necktie. "Besides, you look fucking great."

And it's true, she does. Malia's wearing a sleek black suit, tailored almost perfectly to her body, and she looks amazing.

"Just take a deep breath, okay? I'll go get us drinks."

"Fine." Malia leans against the wall, eyes scanning the crowd until they stop, caught on a young woman wearing a gorgeous red dress, and a fox mask to top it all off.

"Take a picture why don't you, it'll last longer," Stiles teased, sidling back up to Malia, handing her a drink.

"Shut up," Malia hissed.

"What? Someone's caught your attention," he said with a smile. "That's a good thing, Malia! Go talk to her!"

"I can't." She shook her head. "Girls who look like that don't talk to girls who look like me."

"Malia Hale, look at me right now." Stiles moved in front of Malia so that she could look at him. "You are strong, you are independent, and you are gorgeous. You are also wearing a mask, so if you fuck up, she won't know who you are, and you won't know who she is. What do you really have to lose?"

"I hate you," Malia hissed.

"Not as much as you love me." Stiles smiled, reaching out, straightening Malia's tie. "Go get her, tiger."

Malia looked at Stiles, taking a deep breath.

"Hey, if it doesn't work out, I'm right here, okay? I won't move from this spot." Stiles planted, leaning against the wall.

"Okay." Malia nodded, and walked forwards, towards the girl in the red dress, with the flowing dark hair, and the fox mask.

Stiles watched Malia walk away, the braid down her back bouncing slightly, and he grinned, proud of himself. Malia hadn't been doing great socially, and getting her to this party, to this ball, had been a huge improvement for them. He really wanted her to be able to find love, or at least the drive to go looking for it.

Malia stopped just in front of the girl with the red dress, effectively cutting off her path.

"Dance with me," Malia stated, as forward and blunt as ever.

"Excuse me?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh god." Malia shook her head, turning away to head back towards Stiles so they could get the hell out of there.

"No, wait." The Fox reached out, putting her hand on Malia's wrist. "I'll dance with you."

"Oh." Malia turned around, nodding, because that was good, right? Improvement? "Good."

The Fox laughed, and Malia couldn't help but smile through her nerves. The voice sounded familiar, but Malia wasn't sure who it was. She was still highly overwhelmed with the number of people at the school, and it could just have been someone she'd heard passing by. It didn't matter. She was doing what she had told Stiles she would, she was getting out there, taking a chance.

He was right. The worst thing that could happen was that they weren't compatible, and that she went home alone, but with no permanent damage done.

The second Malia's hands moved to The Fox's waist, though, she felt something - a jolt of electricity, but when she looked over at the other woman, she was calm, collected, red dress and all.

They started to move in time to the music, and Malia pulled The Fox closer. Music, somehow, she understood. There was a set rhythm, a beat, and moving to it wasn't difficult. Talking to people, social graces, all that she was at a loss for, but this? This she could do.

"You're a really good dancer," The Fox stated halfway through the song.

"I know." Malia nodded, before biting her lip.

_Be polite_. Stiles had coached her in this.

"I mean...thank you." She smiled awkwardly, and the Fox smiled back, red lips vibrant, radiant.

"I saw you talking to Stiles," The Fox offered.

"You know Stiles?"

"Everyone knows Stiles," The Fox explained.

"Oh." Malia nodded. "Right."

God, she couldn't focus on dancing and talking, not with the gorgeous woman in front of her sending her head spinning. Malia knew this feeling, knew it was desire, and little else, but it was getting to her, and when the song was over, she didn't want to let go...so she didn't.

"It's a little warm in here for another dance," The Fox stated.

"Oh." Malia looked down, prepared to cut her losses, to go back to Stiles and demand they leave, even though he seemed to be perfectly content chatting up the guy in the Raven mask that had just slid up next to him.

"Let's go outside." The Fox took Malia's hand, and before she knew it, she was being led away from the party.

Malia turned around to catch Stiles' eye just long enough to receive two massive thumbs up from her best friend, which somehow put her at ease.

When they got outside, the gardens were practically empty, and Malia didn't understand that. Why would everyone want to be crammed inside a ballroom when they could be outside, the half-moon light accentuating everything in the best way possible.

The Fox didn't let go of her hand as they walked in silence through the dimly lit gardens.

This party really was elegant - The Whittemore's really had gone all out for their return to Beacon Hills, and honestly, Malia found all of the finery overwhelming. She missed her shorts and t-shirts, the comfort of a wide neckline, but all of that was hard to focus on when the warmth from the hand holding hers was radiating through her entire body.

"There's something about parties like this, about masks that make everything seem less stressful," The Fox said finally, stopping. "It's like when you don't know who you're talking to, who you're with, you can be yourself more."

The Fox turned, facing Malia, a smile in place on her face.

"It makes you more bold," she stated.

"I...guess so," Malia nodded, not really sure what else to say, not really sure what all of that meant.

"So be bold," The Fox said, a crafty smirk in place on her face, and for a split second, Malia could see a true vixen nature in the other woman.

She didn't need to be told twice, however. The Fox had made her move, and now the ball was in Malia's court, and even Malia, bad with signs and social constructs couldn't miss that one.

Malia leaned in, leaned down - even with the heels The Fox was wearing, she was still shorter - and kissed the other woman. It started off slow, chaste, hesitant - almost awkward, even, but the second their lips met, there was that jolt of electricity again, and Malia couldn't help herself.

Her hands moved, arms wrapping around The Fox's waist, pulling her closer, and The Fox was kissing her back, hands going up, wrapping around Malia's neck, holding her just as close as she was being held herself.

The other woman's lips were warm, inviting, and Malia didn't know how long they had been attached before someone interrupted them.

"There you are!" A girl with strawberry blonde hair and the most elegant dress Malia had ever seen on a teenager approached them.

Lydia Martin. Everyone knew Lydia Martin.

"Come on!" She grabbed The Fox's hand. "I want to introduce you to Jackson."

And that was it. Just as quickly as The Fox had entered Malia's life, she had been gone, dragged away to meet Lydia Martin's boyfriend, and Malia was standing there, alone in the garden, no idea who the woman she had just gotten so close to was.

She sat down, alone on a bench, thinking things over for several minutes before Stiles came out and sat next to her.

"Hey," he reached out, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Saw your lady go back inside with Lydia, thought you might want some company. What happened?"

"We kiss," Malia stated. "And then she left."

"Oh." Stiles frowned. "That's...do you wanna get out of here?"

"What about that guy you were chatting up?"

"Don't worry about it," Stiles said with a smile. "Bros before hoes, or however that goes when everyone involved is gay."

"Then yes." Malia nodded. "I'd really like to get out of here."

It took all of 5 seconds for Stiles to navigate them out of the party and to his jeep, where Malia instantly removes the necktie and mask.

"Hey," Stiles said as he started up the car. "At least you kissed someone! That's a good step, right!"

"Yeah." Malia nodded. "I guess so."

All of Sunday, Malia tried to focus on homework, but couldn't - tuning out both math, and the constant talking Stiles was doing at her - not to her, mind, at her. She couldn't stop thinking of The Fox, and how to find her again.

She knew Lydia, so that was a step in the right direction.

"Hey!" Stiles snapped his fingers in front of Malia, who turned, glaring daggers at him. "Whoa there, you're really hung up on that fox chick, aren't you."

"No," Malia lied.

"Yeah, okay, we can pretend that's true if it makes you feel better." Stiles shrugged.

"I just don't understand," Malia said finally. "She told me to be bold, she kissed me back, and then she just left."

"Yeah." Stiles nodded. "I will never, ever understand women."

"I won't either," Malia groaned, flopping back onto the bed. This was never going to make more sense to her.

"Chin up, kid," Stiles smiled. "There are other fish in the sea."

"What do fish have to do with it?" Malia asked.

"I...Jesus, nevermind. There are other girls out there. There will always be other girls."

"But I want that one," Malia stated.

"I...yeah, okay, I can't argue with you there. I know how that feels." Stiles nodded. "Let's just get through today, and maybe tomorrow at school, we can ask Lydia about it."

"Lydia won't talk to me."

"I'll ask," Stiles stated.

"She won't talk to you, either."

"Can you just stop being a Debbie Downer for 5 seconds and pretend my plan might work?"

Malia paused, as though thinking hard about that, before nodding, giving in to Stiles, because it was better to have a crappy plan than no plan at all.

School Monday morning yields more nerves for Malia than she's ever felt before in her life. Her head is whipping about everywhere, only stopping when she slaps Stiles in the face with her braid by mistake.

"Oh my god, are you alright?" she asks.

"Fine, totally fine, just calm down, okay?" Stiles stated. "She's here. We know that. You don't have to get whiplash trying to spot her."

"Alright, I'm just nervous, I-" Malia stopped dead in her tracks.

"What, what is it?" Stiles asked.

"That's her." Malia turned to the left and pointed straight ahead at a young woman talking to Lydia and Jackson.

"Are you sure?" Stiles asked.

"Absolutely," Malia said with a grin. "I know that smile."

"Alright, good! Yes!" Stiles grinned. "That's Kira Yukimura."

"You know her?" Malia asked.

"I know everyone." Stiles nodded.

"Good." Malia shoved Stiles forwards. "Go talk to her."

"Nope. Absolutely not." Stiles shook his head. "This one is on you, Malia. She's your girl, go get her."

"She doesn't know me."

"She made out with you," Stiles pointed out. "So there's that."

"She didn't know it was me."

"She told you to be bold," Stiles replied. "Be bold."

Stiles took his turn to shove Malia forwards, and she advanced slowly, nervously. Kira Yukimura. The young woman looked different than she did in the red dress - the outfit she was wearing to school was more alternative, and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, but she looked no less beautiful.

Malia stopped right in front of the small group, and Kira turned, smiling, speaking before Malia even got the chance.

"What took you so long?" Kira asked, her smile just as radiant as it was Saturday night.

"I...what?" Malia frowned.

Kira didn't reply with words, she just reached out, taking Malia's hand, leading her away from the small group.

"I think you've been bold enough for both of us," Kira said finally, standing on her tip toes - even shorter than Malia now that she was in sneakers and not heels.

The kiss that Kira pressed to Malia's lips was quick, chaste, and playful, but it gave Malia all of the information that she needed. She wasn't the only one who had been thinking about their time together over the weekend.

"Malia." She smiled at Kira, offering her name for the first time since they had met.

"Kira." Kira offered back, taking Malia's hand and heading towards the school.

Malia looked over her shoulder before entering the building, just long enough to see Stiles there again, offering her two massive thumb's up, and she smiled to herself as she turned her gaze forwards again, because as always, Stiles was right.

This did feel good.

_**A/N Alright, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! 3**_


End file.
